The Visitor
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: Phoebe receives a late night visitor and learns some things about Prues' death and herself.


CHARMED  
"THE VISITOR"  
by J. B. Tilton  
  
Rating: G  
  
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the  
property of the WB television network, except for those characters  
specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no  
infringement of copyright is intended.  
  
* * *  
  
Phoebe receives a late night visitor and learns some things about  
Prues' death; and about herself.  
  
* * *  
  
ONE  
  
Phoebe looked over at the clock on her nightstand. It read 2:13  
a.m. It seemed much later. Tissues littered her bed and the floor.   
Her eyes were still puffy and her nose was still congested. It seemed  
as if she had been crying for weeks. Still, the tears threatened to  
deluge her like a torrential downpour during a summer thunderstorm.  
  
The events still seemed so surreal to her. Less than 24 hours  
ago she had gone with Cole to the underworld. To save her sisters  
from a certain death. Now, she and Piper were alive and safe, while  
Prues' body lay in a mortuary.  
  
Prue was dead and the Power of Three was broken forever.   
Neither she nor Piper had any powers left. Not that it made much  
difference when it came to her powers. Pipers' freezing ability and  
Prues' astral projection and telekinesis made her power of  
precognition seem almost inconsequential. Even her recently  
manifested ability to levitate seemed trivial when compared to those  
of her sisters.  
  
"That's not exactly true," said a voice in the darkness.  
  
Phoebe bolted upright in bed. Leo had told them they should be  
relatively safe for a while. The forces of evil would be cautious about  
the Charmed Ones after their escape from The Source.  
  
She reached over and turned on the light next to her bed.   
Standing in the corner was a man. He appeared to be about her  
age. His black hair was neatly trimmed over his ears. His clothing  
gave no indication as to whom - or what - he might be.  
  
"Leo, Piper," screamed Piper. If this demon meant to attack her,  
she would need all the help she could get. She tensed herself to  
protect against the inevitable attack.  
  
"They can't hear you," said the man.  
  
"Who are you?" demanded Phoebe, getting out of bed. "What do  
you want?"  
  
"You," said the man. "Or rather, a few moments of your time. I  
promise I'm not a threat to you."  
  
"How do I know that?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"If I had wanted to harm you," said the man, "you'd be dead right  
now."  
  
Phoebe realized he was right. She had been so wrapped up in  
her grief over Prues' death she hadn't even notice this stranger enter.   
He could have attacked her before she would have known he was  
even there. Which meant he must want something else.  
  
"Okay," said Phoebe, still on her guard. "So, who are you and  
what do you want?"  
  
"As for what I want," said the man, "I've already told you. I only  
want a few moments of your time. As for who I am, I have been  
called many names over the centuries. To be honest, it's not so  
much who I am as what I am. And, no, I'm not a demon. Or a half  
demon, as your boyfriend Cole is."  
  
"What do you mean 'what' you are?" asked Phoebe uneasily.  
  
"As I said," replied the man, "I have had many names over the  
years. I think the name you would understand most easily is . . .  
Fate."  
  
TWO  
  
"You're fate?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Fate, destiny, karma," said the man, "it all means the same thing.   
Let me ask you something. Do you find it strange that I have a  
human form?"  
  
"Well, yeah," said Phoebe. "I guess I never imagined fate as  
being a literal person."  
  
"Actually, I'm not," said Fate. "On occasion, I have the ability to  
take human form. Just as Death does."  
  
Phoebe immediately thought of Prue. She remembered how  
Prue had once told them of meeting Death. In his human form. And  
of how he had helped her come to terms with their mothers' death.  
  
"Death and I are old friends," said Fate, to Phoebes' unspoken  
thoughts. "It is from me that he gets the list of who is to be taken."  
  
"You're responsible for Prues' death," said Phoebe angrily. It  
wasn't a question. More like a sudden realization.  
  
"Yes," said Fate. "Ultimately, I am the one who decides who is  
taken and when. It is one of my purposes."  
  
"One?" questioned Phoebe. "You have more than one purpose?"  
  
"Yes," said Fate. "I am misunderstood by most mortals. They  
imagine I am unavoidable. That I will happen regardless of what  
they do. That I am bound to happen, no matter what."  
  
"And you're not?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Far from it," responded Fate. "If I were unavoidable, there would  
be no need for free will. For the right of people to make their own  
choices."  
  
"Then what is your purpose?" asked Phoebe. "Other than to  
decide when and where people die."  
  
"I see the potential in people," said Fate. "I see what they are  
capable of becoming. My purpose is to guide them toward those  
goals."  
  
"You're just a guide, then," said Phoebe.  
  
"More like an advisor," said Fate. "I'm that voice in your head that  
says turn right instead of left. Or that feeling you get when you're  
trying to make a decision. Or that nagging concern if you've done  
the right thing. I can be many things to many people. It all depends  
on the situation."  
  
"Then why is the world in such a mess?" demanded Phoebe. "If  
you guide and advise people, why do so many people make so many  
wrong choices?"  
  
"Fear, doubt, selfishness, insecurity," said Fate. "I can only give  
guidance. Each person has the free will to accept or reject that  
guidance. It's why one person will run into a burning building to save  
another while someone else won't. Or why one person will tell the  
truth and accept the consequences while another refuses to do so.   
Or why one person accepts the death of a loved one while another  
fights to reject it."  
  
Phoebe looked at Fate. Was he suggesting that she just accept  
Prues' death? As if her death had no meaning?  
  
"Not in the least," said Fate suddenly, as if in answer to her  
unspoken question.  
  
"You can read my mind?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Not exactly," said Fate. "But I am aware of your feelings and  
concerns. It's my nature."  
  
"So what are you suggesting?" asked Phoebe. Her anger  
seemed to have subsided somewhat. Her curiosity had taken over.  
  
"I'm suggesting," said Fate, "that you realize your sisters' death  
had purpose. While you still grieve for your loss, you have accepted  
that she is gone."  
  
"What purpose?" asked Phoebe, her anger flaring again. "With  
her death, we lost the Power of Three. She was still young. There  
was so much for her still to do. So much that she could have  
contributed."  
  
"Come with me," said Fate, extending his hand.  
  
"Where?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"I have something to show you," said Fate.  
  
Phoebe hesitated. Part of her wanting nothing to do with this  
aberration that called itself fate. Part of her wanted only to go back  
to her grieving.  
  
But there was also a part of her that wanted answers. To know  
that Prues' death held some meaning. That it has served some  
purpose.  
  
She debated the matter for several long moments. Then, almost  
reluctantly, she reached out and took his hand. Fate just smiled, the  
Phoebes' bedroom faded from view.  
  
THREE  
  
"Where are we?" asked Phoebe.  
  
Fate and Phoebe were standing in an unlit bedroom. It was  
sparsely decorated. A man lay sleeping in the bed. On the wall over  
the bed hung a crucifix. On a dresser across the room lay a Bible  
and a rosary.  
  
"I know him," whispered Phoebe, looking at the man.  
  
"There is no need to whisper," said Fate. "He cannot hear us.   
And, yes, you do know him. He's a Catholic Priest."  
  
"That's right," said Phoebe. "A demon had stolen his empathic  
power."  
  
"Which the demon then transferred to Prue," finished Fate.  
  
"I remember," said Phoebe. "It almost drove her insane. Until the  
Priest told her how to use the power against the demon."  
  
"Which destroyed the demon," said Fate. "And helped to show  
the Priest he didn't need his empathic power to help people."  
  
"That's right," said Phoebe. "We helped him find his purpose in  
life again."  
  
"Yes," said Fate. "Because Prue intervened. And because of  
that, he's been able to help dozens more people."  
  
Suddenly the scene changed. Once again they stood in a  
bedroom. But this was a womans' bedroom. She sat in the bed,  
propped up against the headboard, reading a book. She seemed  
oblivious to the two intruders who stood at the foot of her bed.  
  
"Do you recognize her?" asked Fate.  
  
"Yes," said Phoebe. "She had been cursed by a demon. He was  
trying to make her commit suicide."  
  
"Yes," said Fate. "Prue lifted the curse and drew the attention of  
the demon. He cursed her and she nearly took her own life because  
of it."  
  
"It was lucky that Piper and I were able to get to her in time," said  
Phoebe.  
  
"Lucky, yes," said Fate. "As I said, I have many names. And  
you're aware that she is a future White Lighter."  
  
"Of course," said Phoebe. "Leo said that's why the demon was  
trying to get her to commit suicide. She couldn't be a White Lighter if  
she took her own life."  
  
"Precisely," said Fate. "Prue intervened once again and when  
this young woman becomes a White Lighter, she will help untold  
number of people."  
  
Once more the scene changed. This time they stood in the aisle  
of what appeared to be a supermarket. On the floor in front of them,  
a young man was stocking shelves.  
  
"Andy," gasped Phoebe.  
  
She remembered Andy. He and Prue had dated for a while.   
Years later, the Charmed Ones had been forced to fight several  
demons to keep him from becoming a demon himself. A fight which  
had nearly cost Piper her life.  
  
"I always wondered what happened to him after we rescued him,"  
said Phoebe.  
  
"He's the manager here," said Fate. "He happy and content. And  
he's satisfied with his life as it is now."  
  
"Good," said Phoebe. "I'm glad he's okay."  
  
"There's more," said Fate. "Just last week, while on his way to  
work, he noticed some smoke coming from an apartment building  
down the road. He notified the authorities who investigated. It  
seems there was an electrical short which had caused a fire in that  
building.  
  
"Because of Andy, they were able to put out the fire with relatively  
little damage. Most of the residents of that building are unaware that  
there even was a fire in their building that night."  
  
"Then he's a hero," said Phoebe.  
  
"Very much so," said Fate. "If he hadn't been there, the building  
would have burned to the ground. Twenty-seven people owe their  
lives to him. All because Prue insisted that you intervene and save  
him from becoming a demon.  
  
"All these people I've shown you, and more, have one thing in  
common. They are alive and well because Prue risked her life for  
them. She voluntarily placed herself in harms' way to protect these  
innocents. She didn't have to, but she chose to."  
  
"I know all this," said Phoebe. "It still doesn't explain why you had  
to take her."  
  
The scene changed once more. Once again, Phoebe found  
herself standing in an unlit bedroom. A woman only a couple of  
years younger than Phoebe lay sleeping in the bed.  
  
"This is why," said Fate. "This young woman lives in the building  
which Andy saved. If not for him, she would have died that night."  
  
"I understand that," said Phoebe. "But what's so special about  
this woman?"  
  
"Her name is Paige Matthews," said Fate. "She is your younger  
sister."  
  
  
  
FOUR  
  
"I don't have a younger sister," protested Phoebe. "I'm the  
youngest."  
  
"Technically," said Fate, "I suppose you're correct. She's actually  
your younger half sister. You both had the same mother. But  
Paiges' father was a White Lighter."  
  
Phoebe looked at Paige. She knew that, after she had been  
born, their mother and father had split up. And their mother had  
become involved with her White Lighter. But there had never been  
even a hint of a child from that involvement.  
  
"I don't believe you," said Phoebe. It wasn't the truth, but she  
didn't know what else to say. Deep down inside, somehow she  
sensed that what Fate was telling her was the truth.  
  
"Yes, you do," said Fate. "Remember; I know your feelings."  
  
"It doesn't make any sense," said Phoebe. "Why haven't we  
known about her before now?"  
  
"You'll learn that in due time," said Fate. "It has no bearing on  
what we are discussing now."  
  
"So why did Prue have to die because of her?" demanded  
Phoebe.  
  
"Phoebe," said Fate, "Prue was never meant to be a Charmed  
One. She was supposed to have died at the age of 14. When her  
appendix burst."  
  
"I remember that," said Phoebe. "The doctors said it was a  
miracle she survived at all."  
  
"Another of my many names," said Fate. "You were very young  
then. Paige was even younger. And even more rebellious than you  
were. I knew if she was to ever take her place as a Charmed One,  
she would need your guidance and strength.  
  
"So I decided to let Prue live a little longer. I knew that she, you,  
and Piper would eventually become the Charmed Ones. And I knew  
that it would be Prue who would instill in both of you just how  
important the Charmed Ones were. This is something which Paige  
must learn. Something which you and Piper must teach her."  
  
"But why?" asked Phoebe. "Why couldn't you just let Prue live?"  
  
"Because it is the Power of Three, not the Power of 4," said Fate.   
"Your lineage was prepared for years for you to accept your powers.   
That couldn't be changed.  
  
"It was necessary for Prue to die so that Paige can take her  
rightful place. Just as it was necessary for your grandmother to die  
so that you three could become the Charmed Ones. The power  
could not be passed on as long as they lived.  
  
"It is time for Paige to accept that power. To take her place as a  
Charmed One, as she was destined to do. In order for that to  
happen, Prue had to die. So the power would pass from her to  
Paige. That's why I had to take her."  
  
Phoebe was beginning to understand. Prue had taught her so  
much. Had helped her to become a responsible adult instead of the  
rebellious, spoiled child she had been. Prues' strength had kept the  
sisters together through all the tough time. It was Prue who had  
always said, the Charmed One come first.  
  
"It was your strength as well," said Fate. "You accepted your  
grandmothers' death more easily than Prue did. And you've  
accepted Prues' death more easily than Piper has. You understand  
that all things much change. It does not minimize their deaths  
because you have accepted them. But you understand that the old  
must always give way to the new."  
  
"Yes, I guess I do," said Phoebe. "But since I've accepted Prues'  
death, and Piper hasn't, why come to me? Why not come to Piper  
and explain it to her?"  
  
"She wouldn't hear me," said Fate. "She would only blame me as  
Prue blamed Death for your mothers' death. Nothing I say will alter  
that. Until she accepts that Prue is dead."  
  
"She hasn't yet, I know," said Phoebe. "She and Prue were  
always closer than Prue and I were."  
  
"Remember I said your power of precognition was not  
inconsequential next to the powers of your sisters?" asked Fate.  
  
"Yes," replied Phoebe.  
  
"In many ways," said Fate, "yours is more important that any of  
your sisters' powers. How many innocents have the Charmed Ones  
saved over the years?"  
  
"I have no idea," said Phoebe. "I wasn't keeping score."  
  
"More than you'd imagine," said Fate. "While it was often Prues'  
or Pipers' abilities that were needed to save them, or the Power of  
Three, they would have been useless if you had not known where  
they were needed. Being able to banish a demon is useless if you  
don't know where that demon is. You still do not appreciate just how  
powerful you really are."  
  
"I'm beginning to," said Phoebe.  
  
"With Paige," said Fate, "the Charmed Ones will become even  
more powerful. They'll be able to save even more innocents. The  
Power of Three will be restored through her."  
  
"I understand," said Phoebe. "But it doesn't make it hurt any less  
that we've lost Prue."  
  
"Nor should it," said Fate. "Grief is a very real and necessary  
thing for mortals. It's part of what makes you who you are.  
  
"You will still grieve. Not even I have the power to change that.   
Nor would I if I could. But you can take some solace in the fact that  
Prue was with you much longer than she was supposed to have  
been."  
  
"I appreciate that," said Phoebe. "If not for her, I'm not sure  
where I'd be right now."  
  
"Piper is going to need your strength in the coming days," said  
Fate. "She still refuses to accept that Prue is gone. This makes her  
vulnerable. Your strength and support will help to protect her until  
she can finally accept Prues' death. And she will eventually."  
  
Phoebe suddenly found herself back in her own bedroom.   
Nothing had changed. Even the clock on the nightstand read 2:13  
a.m. It appeared that Fate had the ability to manipulate time as well.  
  
"Not manipulate," said Fate, "suspend. And only for short  
periods. I have a message for you from Prue. She said to tell you  
she's at peace. She's with your mother and grandmother. They are  
all waiting patiently until it's time for you and Piper to join them."  
  
"Thank you," said Phoebe, wiping a tear from her eye. She had a  
strange sense of peace. "Can you tell them that I love them and  
miss them very much?"  
  
"They know that already," said Fate.  
  
"I can't wait to tell Piper about this," said Phoebe. "I can finally  
make her see that Prues' death has meaning."  
  
"You won't remember any of this," said Fate. "At least, not  
consciously. It has to be that way. Subconsciously, however, you  
will retain the peace and strength our talk has given you. It will help  
you to help Piper when she needs it most."  
  
"I see," said Phoebe. "At least that's something."  
  
Phoebe suddenly felt very tired. She climbed into bed and was  
fast asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Fate smiled at her as  
he wiped the events from her conscious mind. Then he walked out  
into the hallway and disappeared from the Halliwell Manor.  
  
FIVE  
  
Phoebe woke up and looked at the sunlight streaming in her  
bedroom window. She had the strangest sensation of having had a  
dream that night. But even now, most of it was gone from her  
memory. Like so many dreams, this one would soon be gone  
forever.  
  
She was still saddened by the loss of Prue. It would take time to  
get over that loss. But she also found that the sleep had given her a  
renewed strength. The strength to go on with her life as she knew  
Prue would have wanted.  
  
The Power of Three was gone forever, and so were her powers.   
But for the moment, that didn't matter. Piper needed her. Piper  
needed her more now than she ever had needed her in the past.   
Leo would help, of course.  
  
But Phoebe could give her older sister strength and comfort that  
one could only get from a sister. Especially a sister as close as she  
and Piper were. Piper would eventually come to accept Prues'  
death. Phoebe knew that. Until she did, Phoebe made a silent vow  
to herself that she would be there for Piper as long as she needed  
her.  
  
THE END  
  
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more of my stories for a  
variety of shows and subjects at  
http://pub57.ezboard.com/bjerrysfanfictionsite. You can also post  
your stories if you like to write fan fiction. 


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